$30 lottery tickets prove a good bet in Massachusetts

Tuesday

Aug 26, 2014 at 5:25 PMAug 27, 2014 at 7:08 AM

BOSTON -- Sales of the state’s new $30 instant lottery ticket have brought in more than $259 million in four months, more than double the most conservative estimate.“World Class Millions” is the lottery most expensive ticket and it has beat out nine other states that began offering $30 tickets this year.

So far, one of the four $15 million top prizes and 11 $1 million second-place prizes have been claimed.

The big jackpot went to the BWE Nominee Trust of Marblehead, which chose a lump sum payment of about $6.4 million after taxes. The trustees told lottery officials BWE stands for Best Week Ever.

The odds against winning the $15 million prize, the largest ever on an instant ticket in Massachusetts, are 6.3 million to 1.

As lottery officials prepare to compete with casinos in Massachusetts, instant tickets continue to drive sales increases for the agency. Instant tickets saw a $22 million sales increase in July, compared to the same month last year, driven largely by new games released in mid-June.

“We are seeing a great bump this year, and we continue to retool the offerings, not only what they visually look like, but also the play mechanics and the prizes,” said Lottery Executive Director Beth Bresnahan. “The $30 ticket certainly has helped.”

Instant tickets account for almost 70 percent of the agency’s overall sales.

Lottery profits are returned to cities and towns as unrestricted local aid, a fact that has weighed in to the debate over legalizing casino gaming. Voters in November will decide whether to repeal the state’s casino gambling law, and candidates for statewide office have been debating both sides of that issue.

State lotteries looking for growth in instant ticket sales are putting major efforts behind higher priced games, according to Bresnahan. This past spring New Hampshire launched a $25 ticket, and Florida introduced two $25 games over the last two years. The Texas Lottery offered a $50 game in May 2007.